Tanner POV (District 9)

My eyes open at the sound of a siren.

A beam of sunlight creeps through the blinds and gently reaches my eyes. It's sometime early in the morning and I've tried to get a full night sleep before another big day. I shift around in my bed, moving the comforter away and take a quick look out the window. The train has crossed a large metallic bridge and I stare out to the distance. Endless fields and a rushing stream make up the beautiful landscape in front of me. There's so much beauty in the areas between the districts but we never get the chance to see them. A large sign moves past as the train barrels down the tracks toward the destination: District 9...my home.

I reach to the table and pick up a bottle, enjoying a final drink before I head back to my life in the districts. After everything I've gone through – the people I've killed, the horrors I've seen – I apparently just have to go back home and deal with it all on my own. The Hunger Games went on for a few weeks, but yet it felt like years. Hours spent hiding under trees as a monster was out searching for me, days training for the big fight, and weeks just trying to survive. I have to forget it all; I have to move on. The memories will stick with me forever – some resort to drinking while others force the bad memories out of their heads. The Games never end; the nightmares never really go away even if I try.

I let out a quiet sigh and walk to my dresser to change. The train should be arriving back to District 9 within the next hour or so. I place my shirt on a changing table and start to get dressed in the outfit they provided for me. A beam of light bounces off the mirror as the train makes a sharp curve down the path. I catch my reflection and take a quick hard look at myself. I'm more muscular than I was before and my hair is longer, but I also look more tired and exhausted. I'm still pretty young and yet I feel older; more mature – you can tell from the look on my face. I've experienced so much – I'm not the same person that I was when I left District 9. When I left for the Hunger Games, I had a brother, a nephew and sister-in-law waiting for me at home. I also had a fiancée, Arielle, who sat by and watched me go through everything in the Games. Arielle...I barely thought of her in the arena. I was so focused for my life that I didn't even focus to think about the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I'm not sure things will be the same; I don't think our relationship will survive this if I'm being honest.

The door opens as I leave my bedroom and walk to the dining car. Patton, my District Mentor, and our District Escort Ymez are sitting at the table, drinking coffee and chitchatting. They both turn and smile to me as I walk to the cart to pick up some food. They've been extra happy and joyful since the Games have ended and I was crowned a winner. After the medics had applied the syringe, I woke up in the medical ward with the both of them standing over me, chatting frantically – worrying about Cammie (District 9) and myself. My hospital stay was only short and I was able to leave pretty quickly. Besides, the cameras desperately needed to conduct the final interview and share the news with the viewers.

My Stylist had placed me in a slick, dark black suit and bowtie for my closing interview. The theme for this year was "Allegiance" and featured tons of footage of the different tributes working with their alliances, turning against each other, or betraying their own district allies. The highlights included the Careers, Annaliese (District 8) and her many alliances, Scarlett (District 12) betraying her district mates, and the bloodthirsty nature of the District 2 girl. They showed clips of my first kill and delved into the fight with Scarlett and Jake (District 3). Luckily, I barely killed any tributes – from the footage I did see, some of the tributes were absolutely bloody in their pursuit of others. Before my final closing interview, I had to see what the Capitol and Panem viewers saw. I begged Ymez to bring me copies of the episodes and I watched everything unfold. It took longer than expected but I forced myself to watch it all.

The final interview feels so long ago. It ended as quickly as it started. Patton gives me a nod and offers a piece of tart. We don't talk but Ymez can barely keep quiet. She continues to ramble on about all the things yet to come for the Victor's Tour. Each district we will have to visit, each tribute face I will have to see again on the large screen. It won't be for a while and then after it's completed, the next Hunger Games will begin. If anything, I could always be a Mentor. Patton has done this awhile and I can take over. It's an idea to consider for the future.

The siren goes off again and I see a shadow move past the window. We've past a few buildings and have arrived to District 9. Patton and Ymez stand up from their chairs and start to move around the train. Ymez joyfully claps her hands and runs through the doors in a gleeful frenzy. Now that we've arrived to the district, she will be working to set up our District Welcoming before heading back home to the Capitol. Patton informs me that the Peacekeepers are getting ready for our arrival to leave the train. I walk to a window and stare out at my home. District 9 hasn't changed much since I left it but it feels like it's completely different to me now. Plenty of people are standing around, cheering and waiting for the doors to open.

Patton taps me on the shoulder and ushers me down the hallway. In a matter of minutes, the train doors will open and everyone will see me again, not as Tanner Ashby the boy who left but as a District 9 Victor. I breathe nervously and fidget around, pacing and staring at the door. My attention drifts for a second, thinking about everything that will happen once these doors open, but my mind is pulled back when a hand touches my shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?"

A warm smile greets me to my left. I stare back at the face I never thought I would see again after the Games had ended. Cammie looks back at me, wearing a simple light green dress and a black ribbon bow in her hair. The medics were luckily able to save her life. Though, Patton did tell me it came very close a few times where her heart stopped and she did technically die. I was able to do my closing interview but she missed it so she could recuperate in the hospital wing. I wasn't leaving the Capitol without making sure she was coming back with me. I wouldn't want to return without my friend and ally. I nod in agreement and smile.

"Absolutely."

She smiles back and waves at the nearest Peacekeeper. He flips a switch and the door opens. Sunlight enters the train and that's when we hear it, the sounds of loud cheers and applause welcoming us home. I can see my family in the crowd, my little nephew jumping for joy and clinging onto my older brother. I can even see Cammie's mother in the crowd; she's standing quite stoic with a gentle smile and a single tear moving down her cheek. Cammie turns her head and smiles to me as she waves to the large group of people. Not many have the luxury of returning home from the Games with a friend at their side. She experienced the Games with me, she knows everything of what they did to us. Nobody else, except for maybe Patton and Ymez, will understand this experience. I'm not sure how things will go moving forward or what else will come after we leave this train. It could be the worst experience where everything goes downhill or it could just be the beginning to a new start.

I think we'll be alright.

TRIBUTES LIST

Cammie Hargreaves – District 9

Tanner Ashby – District 9

3. Scarlett Lei – District 12 (Killed by Tanner Ashby – District 9)
4. Annaliese Crepeau – District 8 (Killed by Scarlett Lei – District 12)
5. Jake Philpott – District 3 (Killed by Tanner Ashby – District 9)
6. Amberly Vaughtin – District 11 (Killed by Annaliese Crepeau – District 8)
7. Knox Venters – District 2 (Killed by Jake Philpott – District 3)
8. Collette Lafretta – District 2 (Killed Annaliese Crepeau – District 8)
9. Cassandra "Cassie" Lombard – District 3 (Killed by Amberly Vaughtin – District 11)
10. Flint Price – District 5 (Killed by Knox Venters – District 2)
11. Cody Gilliam – District 12 (Killed by Amberly Vaughtin – District 11)
12. Kendra Saunders – District 4 (Killed by Collette Lafretta – District 2)
13. Marc London – District 1 (Killed by Collette Lafretta – District 2)
14. Kaeli Naboda – District 5 (Killed by Collette Lafretta – District 2)
15. Janel Modica – District 12 (Killed by Earthquake)
16. Peter Handel – District 12 (Killed by Fallen Tree)
17. Tessie Clifton – District 8 (Killed by Earthquake)
18. Envy Blythe – District 1 (Killed by Meteorite)
19. Wyatt Calder – District 4 (Killed by Boulder)
20. Piper Clarke – District 2 (Killed by Fire/Meteorite)
21. Sophie Hilles – District 7 (Killed by Marc London – District 1)
22. Zachary "Zack" Lyons – District 11 (Killed by Scarlett Lei – District 12)
23. Paxon Hupp – District 5 (Killed by Kipp Pritchard – District 9)
24. Kipp Pritchard – District 9 (Killed by Paxon Hupp – District 5)
25. Hollyn Bainbridge – District 4 (Killed by Kipp Pritchard – District 9)
26. Gabriel "Gabe" Rivet – District 3 (Killed by Kipp Pritchard – District 9)
27. Gaelan Kassower – District 8 (Killed by Starvation/Poison)
28. Levin Cassio – District 1 (Killed by Collette Lafretta – District 2)
29. Kitty Bardwell – District 10 (Killed Levin Cassio – District 1)
30. Eve Harper – District 10 (Killed by Levin Cassio – District 1)
31. Gemini Capewell – District 6 (Killed by Collette Lafretta – District 2)
32. Todd Costas – District 4 (Killed by Collette Lafretta – District 2)
33. Daniel Mallon – District 6 (Killed by Knox Venters – District 2)
34. Luca Mallon – District 6 (Killed by Wyatt Calder – District 4)
35. Allure Young – District 1 (Killed by Cammie Hargreaves – District 9)
36. Skylar Sedgwick – District 7 (Killed by Allure Young – District 1)
37. Ethan Kinlaw – District 7 (Killed by Todd Costas – District 4)
38. Daphne Masters – District 5 (Killed by Levin Cassio – District 1)
39. Eden Archer – District 7 (Killed by Cody Gilliam – District 12)
40. Abram Matthys – District 2 (Killed by Jake Philpott – District 3)
41. Mason Soto – District 11 (Killed by Piper Clarke – District 2)
42. Dune Ward – District 10 (Killed by Tanner Ashby – District 9)
43. Quinn Rotger – District 11 (Killed by Kitty Bardwell – District 10)
44. Alice Amberry – District 3 (Killed by Piper Clarke – District 2)
45. Holt Sprouse – District 10 (Killed by Cassandra "Cassie" Lombard – District 3)
46. Jill Talbert – District 6 (Killed by Marc London – District 1)
47. Gwendolin Taft – District 9 (Killed by Janel Modica – District 12)
48. Cotton Stone – District 8 (Killed by Flint Price – District 5)